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1They decided to send Small Man (Paul) by a great canoe to Land of Young Bulls (Italy) .
So Small Man (Paul) , along with some other prisoners, was turned over to a head soldier of the Royal Guard, named Soft Haired Man (Julius) .
2At Harbor of Death (Adramyttium) we climbed aboard a canoe that was going our way, making stops at harbors along the shoreline of Land of the Rising Sun (Asia) . So we launched out into the great waters. A man named Good Chief (Aristarchus) from False Victory (Thessalonica) , in the territory of the Land of Tall People (Macedonia) , also journeyed with us.
3On the following day we came ashore at Hunting Grounds (Sidon) . There Soft Haired Man (Julius) was kind to Small Man (Paul) and permitted him to go to his friends so they could care for him.
4From there we launched out again into the great waters but remained close to the shoreline of the Island of Flowers (Cyprus) , for the winds were strong against us.
5From there we crossed the open waters near Turns Over (Cilicia) and Many Tribes (Pamphylia) , and then came to land at Weeping Waters (Myra) in the territory of Land of Wolves (Lycia) .
6At Weeping Waters (Myra) the head soldier found a great wooden sea canoe on its way from Man Fighter (Alexandria) to Land of Young Bulls (Italy) that would give us passage, so we climbed aboard.
7For a number of days we traveled along slowly until with difficulty we came near Old Village (Cnidus) . The wind was against us and began to force us off course, so we remained close to the shoreline of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) near Village of Garments (Salmone) .
8From there we struggled along the shoreline until we came to a place called Good Harbor, near Shaggy Village (Lasea) .
9The journey was no longer safe. Too much time had passed, for the Festival of Release from Wrongdoings had already passed. So Small Man (Paul) gave them his advice.[#27:9 Day of Atonement, a festival of the Jews]
10“Fellow travelers,” he said to them, “I can see that this journey ahead of us will end in injury and loss, not only of the canoe and its goods, but also of our lives.”
11But the head soldier was more convinced by the headman of the canoe than by the words of Small Man (Paul) .
12And because the harbor was not a good place to stay the winter, a greater number of people decided it was best to launch out into the great waters and try to reach Palm Tree (Phoenix) . This was a harbor on the shore of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) , facing both to the southwest and to the northwest.
13But then, when a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they could reach their journey’s end. So they prepared their canoe and launched out into the great waters again. They stayed close to the shoreline of Flesh Eater Island (Crete) for safety,
14but it was not long before a violent wind roared down from the island—a wind they call the Northeaster.
15The canoe was caught in the wind, and when we could make no headway against it, we gave up trying and let it force us along.
16Then, when we came under some cliffs, we were finally able to get the canoe under control.
17We roped the life raft we were towing behind us to the side of the canoe, and then tied the ropes around the canoe to hold it together. Then, fearing we would be caught in the shallow sandbars, we lowered our anchor rock and let the canoe be dragged along by the fierce winds.
18But the next day, after being pounded by the storm, they began to throw the goods overboard.
19Then, on the third day, with their bare hands they threw the benches and whatever else they could find into the water.
20For many days the storm continued to rage, the sun did not shine, nor could the stars be seen at night. All hope of being rescued was gone.
21After they had gone for many days without food, Small Man (Paul) stood up among them.
“Fellow travelers,” he said to them, “if you would have listened to me and not set out from Flesh Eater Island (Crete) , you would not have suffered this injury and loss.
22But I say to you now, do not lose your courage. For even though our canoe will be lost, not one of us will lose our lives.
23Last night a spirit-messenger from the Great Spirit, the one I belong to and serve, stood by my side.
24“‘Do not fear,’ he said to me, ‘for you must stand before the Ruler of the People of Iron (Caesar) . Behold! The Giver of Life has gifted you with the lives of all who journey with you!’”
25“Be strong of heart,” Small Man (Paul) said to them, “for I have faith that the Great Spirit will do everything he told me.
26But we will have to find an island to land on.”
27It had now been fourteen nights that we had been driven about by the wind and waves of the Sea with No Wood (Adriatic Sea) . In the middle of the night, the men who guided the canoe could feel that we were near land.
28They began to test the depth of the water and found it was as deep as a tall tree. Then a short distance later they tested it again and found that it was not as deep.[#27:28 About 120 feet; #27:28 About 90 feet]
29Since they knew the shoreline was rocky, they were afraid we might run into a large rock under the water, so they dropped four anchor rocks from the back of the canoe and prayed for the sun to rise.
30But then, some of the men, trying to escape, untied the life raft and lowered it into the water, pretending they were putting out more anchor rocks.
31“If these men leave the canoe,” he said to him and the other soldiers, “you will not be saved and all will be lost .”
32So the soldiers cut the leather straps from the life raft and let it drift away.
33Just before the sun began to rise, Small Man (Paul) urged everyone to eat something.
“For fourteen days now you have been constantly worrying and have not eaten any food,” he said to them.
34“Please eat something now. You will need it to survive. Do not fear! No one will die or be harmed. Not even one hair from your heads will be lost.”
35After he said this, he took a piece of frybread and, giving thanks to the Great Spirit in front of them all, he broke it and began to eat.
36This gave the men courage, so they also began to eat.
37All in all there were two hundred seventy-six persons in this great wooden canoe.
38When they finished eating, they tossed the rest of the grain over the side to lighten the canoe.
39When daylight came, they did not recognize the shoreline, but they could see a bay with a beach. They decided to try to run the canoe up into the sandy beach, if possible.
40So they cut the ropes to the anchor rocks and left them in the water. At the same time they untied the ropes holding the rudders in place. Then they set the men to the paddles, and they paddled with all their might heading toward the beach.[#27:40 Lit. They put up the sails into the wind]
41But on the way the canoe struck a sandbar and stayed there, stuck in the sand. The front of the canoe began to break from the force of the waves.
42The soldiers made a plan to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming away.
43But the head soldier, wanting to spare the life of Small Man (Paul) , stopped them. He ordered the ones who could swim to jump overboard and swim to land.
44The rest he sent floating on wooden poles and pieces of the canoe. In this way all who were aboard made it safely to the land.